Putin Denies Meddling In 2016 Election – Quotes U.S. President

Invoking the wrong president, Russian President Vladimir Putin paraphrased former President George H.W. Bush Thursday in denying that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

During an International Arctic Forum press conference in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk, Putin was asked whether Russia interfered in the U.S. election, as has been alleged by American intelligence agencies and politicians.

Bush, who was Reagan’s vice president, famously told Americans in 1988 on the subject of tax increases, “Read my lips, no new taxes.”

Putin, however, left no room for doubt about his meaning by ascribing the claims of Russian involvement as part of American politics.

“All those things are fictional, illusory and provocations, lies. All these are used for domestic American political agendas. The anti-Russian card is played by different political forces inside the United States to trade on that and consolidate their positions inside,” the Russian president said.

Despite the opposition he said he faced from America’s political circles, Putin voiced hope that the United States and Russia could work closer together.

“We said on numerous occasions and I reiterate that we are confident … and know for sure that opinion polls in the United States show that very many people are … friendly towards the Russian Federation,” he said.

“I’d like to tell these people that we perceive and regard the United States as a great power with which we want to establish good partnership relations,” he added.

Putin also said Thursday that he would be open to a meeting with President Donald Trump in Finland, which will soon be taking leadership of the Arctic Council.

Putin’s comments came at the same time U.S. officials are ratcheting up their denunciations of Russia’s interference in the election.

In January, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report accusing Russia of meddling in the elections. “We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency,” the report read.

During a speech in New Delhi, former Vice President Dick Cheney said Putin sought “to interfere in major ways with our basic fundamental democratic process.”

“In some quarters, that would be considered an act of war,” he said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he has no doubt that Russia sought to interfere in the elections, even as various congressional panels seek to learn the extent of those alleged attempts.

“We all knew Russia was trying to meddle with our election. And we already know right now they’re trying to do it with other countries,” Ryan said.

“The world’s super power, the American government needs to do everything we possibly can not only to undercut what they’re trying to do but to uncover what they’re trying to do and help our allies prevent it from happening,” Ryan added.